Mama's Pecan Pie

Nothing quite like Mama's pecan pie.

Ingredients:
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1 cup dark Karo syrup
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons melted butter
1 cup chopped pecans
1 unbaked pie shell

Mix eggs, syrup, salt, sugar, vanilla, and butter.
Stir in pecans.
Pour in pie shell.
Bake 15 minutes at 400.
Reduce heat to 350 and bake 30-35 minutes more.

Subtle Change 10

The essence of farm living is, "Waste not; want not." My grandparents and parents had ways of finding a use for everything. We weren't 5 minutes away from the shopping centers. Trips to town were once a week, and we had to make do with what we had. Nothing was thrown out until it was completely used up. Thrifty was a way of life, and it was passed down to me. Thankfully.

The recent recession opened many people's eyes to the art of living thrifty and saving money, and there are so many ways to do that. One way to start is with your food purchases. I've heard so many people say that the farmer's market is more expensive than the grocery store, but you really do get what you pay for. When you invest extra cents (it really isn't that much more costwise) in your food purchases, you'll find ways to utilize those leftovers, especially after you sink your teeth into that seasonal yumminess!

For the best in homemade soup, get a small, quart-size freezer container, and freeze leftover cooked veges as you have them. When the container is full, it's time for soup night. Open a can of tomatoes and add all those leftover veges, simmer, and serve. Yummy, nutritious, and most of all, thrifty.

My Great State

Sarah Palin loves her great state of Alaska with all its many natural resources, scenic views, and the hard-work ethic of the people who live there. Her recent reality show featured many of these including the logging and fishing industries, the Valdez pipeline, glaciers, rock climbing, dog sledding, and her most controversial episode in which she hunted caribou in the wild to emphasize the availability of Alaskan wildlife. 

I so relate to her strong feelings for her great state, because I, too, love my great state, the state of North Carolina. Here we bask in the warmth of spring, the heat of summer, the chill of fall, and those sometimes dreary, but always beautiful, snowy and cold days of winter. NC has mountaintop views and miles of coastline with so much in between - farmland, lakes, timberwoods, wildlife, parks, universities, historical towns, medical centers, research facilities, manufacturers, and communities filled with hard-working people who, like Sarah Palin, love their families and are passing that good ole American, hard-work ethic onto their children.

Yes, I love my great state, and am proud to make NC my home.

Kale

Pictured here is kale growing at Wise Farms. When used only as a garnish, one misses out on the full value of this powerhouse of nutrition. Low in calories and full of those cancer-fighting antioxidants, kale comes packed with fiber, calcium, vitamins B6, A, C, and K, and minerals. I always -say, "the greener the green, and the orange-er the orange, the better for you!"

Toss fresh kale with your favorite salad greens. Its bitter taste makes it perfect for cooking with turnip and mustard greens. Juice it! Add it to soups! And, a popular favorite is kale chips. Found a few good recipes online and can't wait to give it a try. It's as simple as washing and drying kale; tearing leaves into bite size pieces; tossing with olive oil; adding kosher salt; spreading in one layer on baking sheet; and baking at 350 for 15-20 minutes, or until crispy but not too brown.

10% Food Pledge

As you make your New Year's Resolutions for 2011 why not commit to spending 10% of your food dollars locally by buying from NC farmers. I have made the pledge for our family and this year will be tracking my progress. For more information about this program visit http://www.nc10percent.com/

Daikon Radish

This vegetable causes many people to ask, "What IS that?" It looks like a white carrot, but it is not a carrot at all. It's a daikon radish, great for salads, stir fries, and roasting with other veges. And a 3 oz portion has less than 20 calories! You can even cook and eat the greens! Fiberlicious! If you are into organic gardening then plant some daikon radishes alongside your cucumbers and squash to repel beetles from attacking these vegetables, alongside tomatoes to repel mites.

Scalloped Daikon and Ham (from December 2010 issue of Experience Life, page 32)

2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon arrowroot powder (optional)
1 1/2 cups of cream
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
1 large daikon, sliced
12 oz. ham
1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 and butter a baking dish.

In a saucepan melt butter over medium-high heat. Stir in arrowroot as a thickener (optional). Cook for 30 seconds. Remove from heat and whisk in cream. Return to heat and simmer while stirring. When thickened (if using arrowroot) remove from heat and season with salt and pepper.

Spread a third of the sauce in the bottom of a baking dish and top with half of the sliced daikon. Layer with half of the onion, half of the ham, and half of the cheese. Add another third of your sauce and repeat layers. Top with the last of the cream sauce.

Cover baking dish with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake for 25-30 more minutes, or until daikon is tender. Serve with a salad to complete meal.

New Year's Day

The traditional meal for New Year's Day is black-eye peas, greens, and ham. Supposedly the peas bring good luck, the greens bring wealth and prosperity, and the ham represents moving forward (because hogs root forward). Other fun sayings about New Year's Day:
"Don't do laundry on New Year's Day because that will bring bad luck."
"Don't sweep the floors because you will be sweeping someone out of your life."
"Place a penny on your kitchen windowsill for good luck."
"If you eat beef on New Year's Day you will have a tough year."

Superstitious? If so, here's my Mama's recipe for collard greens to wish you and yours a prosperous 2011!

First, cook a cured hamhock and fat back until tender. While meat is cooking, wash collards thoroughly. Remove meat from the pot. Add collards to the broth. Cook until tender (about 30-40 min). Remove collards from pot and drain. Sprinkle a little salt and sugar, and chop collards. Enjoy!